World Desk

Israeli and Palestinian activists in Nazareth staged a rally Friday, wearing stickers resembling the “Press” insignia to emphasize that journalism should not be treated as a crime. The demonstration called for peace in Gaza and an end to the killing of journalists.

Hundreds gathered in the northern Israeli town, donning blue-and-white “Press” stickers typically used to identify reporters in conflict zones. Protesters carried portraits of Palestinian journalists slain during the war and held a banner reading: “Don’t assassinate the truth.” Some banged on empty pots to highlight both hunger in Gaza and the silencing of the press.

Among the victims remembered was 33-year-old Mariam Dagga, a freelance contributor for The Associated Press. Dagga was killed earlier this week alongside four other reporters and 17 others when Israeli forces struck Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where many journalists had taken shelter.

The hospital strike, according to the Israeli military, was aimed at what it claimed was a Hamas surveillance camera. Officials said journalists were not targeted, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the incident as a “mishap.”

Mariam, who had been documenting the struggles of displaced Palestinians and the efforts of doctors caring for the wounded and malnourished children, became one of nearly 200 journalists killed since the conflict began on October 7, 2023. The war erupted after a Hamas attack inside Israel left 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage. In response, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 63,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Her family, still grappling with the loss, shared painful memories. Mariam’s father, Riyad, broke down recalling the moment he learned of her death. “When I heard the news, I couldn’t walk. I collapsed,” he said, holding onto her last photographs.

Her sister, Nada, was with her during the attack. She recounted their final exchange: “Mariam was on the stairs filming. She looked at me and smiled. That was our last look.”

Mariam’s brother, Mohamed, was the one who carried her body from the stairwell to the hospital’s operations room after the strike. Her final photographs captured the damaged stairwell at Nasser Hospital, moments before she was killed.